Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co., through its charitable giving arm The Dowd Foundation, has awarded Central Piedmont Community College a $1 million grant to support plumbing and pipefitting scholarships and instruction.

Charlotte Pipe, which manufactures cast iron and plastic pipe and fittings, has been working for more than a century to ensure the plumbing and pipefitting trades remain viable career paths.

“We know how essential these career paths can be for young people, as well as for our nation’s infrastructure,” said President Hooper Hardison. “We are delighted we have resources like Central Piedmont in our region to provide an education pipeline for the construction trades.”

Central Piedmont will allocate Charlotte Pipe’s gift in the following ways:

• Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co. Scholarship Fund ($500,000) – The permanently endowed scholarship fund will provide support for financially needy students enrolled in plumbing and pipefitting courses.
• Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Co. Instructional Fund ($500,000) – The fund will support instruction in plumbing and pipefitting at Central Piedmont, providing the resources needed to buy equipment and materials, invest in faculty development and address instructional capacity.

“The Charlotte region needs many more skilled tradespersons, such as plumbers and pipefitters,” said Kandi Deitemeyer, president of Central Piedmont. “These are stable, sustainable, and well-paying careers. This grant will help the college recruit and educate more individuals, setting them on a path to career success and economic mobility.”

Visit www.cpcc.edu/programs/construction-management-technology to learn more about Central Piedmont’s construction management technology program.